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You stare at the door outside. It would be easy to put all this out of your head and just keep it moving. But it doesn't feel right.. you cast a glance at Batman and find he's already staring at you. The unsettling glow of Batman's eyes from beneath that cowl of his make you nervous. Hell, everything about this place makes you nervous. An hour ago you still thought of 'magic' and 'spirits' as possibilities. Chances in an infinite universe, things you never really believed fully but still left the door open for. Only now the door is wide open and you've stared into what's behind it directly and according to John it's done it's share of looking back. Is this really your place? No. It isn't, you weren't meant for dark delves into haunted asylums with masked crusaders. Yet it seems every time you fight to return to normalcy, for the privilege of an honest job, you're exposed more and more to how much deeper the rabbit hole goes. How comically small your role in the world is. You'd laugh if it didn't always feel like the joke was on you. But through all of this bullshit you've never lost sight of what you've stood for, the world wasn't your problem; Gotham and the people in it are. You look again at this man, this Batman, and it feels like another reflection.
Maybe he's meta, maybe he isn't but he's still a person. Someone who had desires, maybe the same ones as you. Just a man who wanted to protect his home. You remember when you first saw the photos in your dad's paper, his suit wasn't much more than stitched kevlar and sports pads despite it his presence was inescapable in the City. He seemed like a manifestation of Gotham's anger, finally fighting back to halt the grinding boot that was turning everyday people into a paste and looking at him now you aren't sure you recognize the man clad in pristine body armor, trimmed with technology that borders on science-fiction. It makes you think, would you from a few months ago recognize yourself? Your own words to Question echo in your head, maybe it's better to just focus on the things you can act on. This is out of your depth and it may be out of his as well, but you can still help where you can.
"You're out of your depth too." You start. "Your utility belt won't be as helpful against the things John's looking for as you think, and given everything he's said about you, you'll just end up drawing attention to both of you if you go with him."
"Maybe." Batman grumbles. "But I don't trust him to wander that place by himself. Even if it was empty."
"Gee, thanks mate." John mumbles, rolling his eyes wildly as he reads his tome.
"If anyone should be his backup, shouldn't it be another magician or wizard or something? He can't be the only one, you guys mentioned someone earlier."
"No." Batman says firmly. "I'm not bringing anyone else into this, I won't risk them."
"But you'll risk me?" You ask, genuinely taken aback.
"You were already in, whether you liked it or not."
